Crunk Culture is a commentary (opinion piece) about creative and sometimes cursory perspectives and responses to popular culture and representations of identity. Dr. Robin Boylorn defines "crunk" as resisting conformity and confronting injustice out loud. Getting crunk, in this space, is a way of engagement that seeks to hold people accountable by offering counternarratives or new perspectives on topics of public interest.
Inherently southern and black, Crunk Culture is conscious, creative and intentional about amplifying perspectives that are often silenced or dismissed. The goal is to offer cultural critique that encourages folk to look at something differently and critically.
Dr. Boylorn is a professor at The University of Alabama in the Communication Studies department, focusing her research in the areas of interpersonal and intercultural communication. http://robinboylorn.com
Produced and edited by Brittany Young
Theme music: "Belvedere" by Rocki; YouTube - Officially Rocki
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In this week’s Crunk Culture commentary, Robin Boylorn addresses some of the challenges of adoption in the state of Alabama and in our country. Simply put, in Robin’s words, the adoption conversation must not only celebrate the victories, but expose the problems as well... -
In our previous segment, Robin Boylorn discussed how WNBA players are underpaid and undervalued. And, in today’s Crunk Culture commentary, Dr. Boylorn shares some actions that can be taken to improve the league and the livelihood of its players...
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About a week ago, the Washington Mystics won their first ever championship in franchise history. But the celebration didn’t last long because half of the team’s players are heading overseas for international play. In this Crunk Culture commentary, Robin Boylorn explains why WNBA players are asking for better pay...
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In our previous segment of Crunk Culture, Robin Boylorn explained what reparations are and discussed some policies that need to be implemented for African Americans to reap long-term benefits. And today, Professor Boylorn suggests some right-now initiatives that can immediately impact the lives of black Americans...
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Although reparations have been one of the main talking points in the current political climate, they’re a lot of misconceptions regarding the topic. On today’s edition of Crunk Culture, Robin Boylorn defines what reparations are – and what they are not – while calling for a change in government policies that will provide generational impacts for the descendants of slaves...
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The death of iconic author and professor emeritus Toni Morrison has affected a lot of people, especially Robin Boylorn who’s been deeply influenced by Morrison’s work.In this segment of Crunk Culture, Robin honors Morrison and encourages us to take heed to her words – words that condemn white supremacy and hate in America.A note to listeners: Dr. Boylorn addresses mass shootings in this piece, but it was recorded before the attack in Odessa, Texas...
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A part of the problem with black maternal mortality is a lack of awareness related to the challenges of pregnancy, such as preexisting health conditions that are more common in black women. In this second installment of Crunk Culture, Robin Boylorn discusses preventive measures and possible solutions to combat this crisis...
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Pregnancy-related deaths in the US, especially among black women, have been problematic for quite some time, but not much has been done to prevent and alleviate this issue.In this first installment of Crunk Culture, Robin Boylorn addresses black maternal mortality and two of its factors...
